Dust storm sources in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Dust storms is a common dangerous weather phenomenon in arid andsemi­arid regions of Kazakhstan, especially in its southern parts with agreat variety of desert types and are a powerful source of mineral and saltaerosols. In this study was used long­term meteorological data on duststorms recurrence and their regional division in Kazakhstan. On the basis of generalization and analyses of the meteorological observations, weidentified the powerful sources of dust storms. The regions in Kazakhstanwith the highest frequency of dust storms are: Aral Sea region; southernKazakhstan regions; northern Caspian plain; central Kazakhstan region;southern Pre­Balkhash Deserts. The most active source of dust storms islocated in sandy deserts or in areas, which have suffered from human economic activity. They are particularly dangerous for the environment andhave a great negative impact on soil conditions.Key words: dust storms, arid region, soil texture